Mosby & Co. to launch with sale of toys, sideshow banners, monster kits, Handel lamps, bronzes Mosby & Co.’s auction debut closing on May 15 features toys, sideshow banners, art-glass lamps, Western bronzes, plus Aurora monster model kits and other monster collectibles.
News-Antique.com - Mar 24,2009 - FREDERICK, Md. – Absentee and Internet bidding will open on May 5 for Mosby & Co.’s debut auction featuring 500-600 lots of outstanding antique and vintage toys, games, monster model kits, carousel animals and sideshow banners, with a bumper selection of Handel lamps and bronzes adding a fine edge to the offerings.
Mosby & Co.’s owner, Keith Spurgeon, is a well-established antique toy dealer, collector and former auction company co-owner. In lining up the consignments for his premiere event under the Mosby banner, Spurgeon cast a wide net across the country, successfully acquiring mature private collections of unusually high quality.
The sale will feature part one of Californian Dave Stoermer’s renowned prewar Japanese and celluloid toy collection, which was featured in the July 1998 issue of Antique Toy World. Within the 60 pieces to be auctioned is the only known example of a 9-inch-tall blond-haired Betty Boop figure with separately molded earrings and fur stole. “The toy came out of Australia,” said Spurgeon. “To my knowledge, it’s the only one of its type that anyone has ever seen.”
Also to be sold is the companion piece to Betty Boop – the only known complete example of a figural celluloid Bimbo (Betty’s dog-like boyfriend) on its correct tin-windup platform. Yet another character rarity from the Stoermer collection is a near-mint prewar Japanese tin and celluloid Uncle Wiggily car by Kuromachi. Approximately 15 to 20 of the prewar Japanese toys are boxed.
From a different consignor comes the largest-size (5¼-inch-tall) version of Elmer Elephant Dancing with Donald Duck; and a mint-boxed prewar Japanese Crawling Donald Duck – at 9¾ inches, it is the largest of three variations made.
Mosby’s will offer the entire penny toy collection of Massachusetts collector Franc Ladner, who has been amassing the mostly European specialty toys since the 1980s. The diminutive novelties will be apportioned into approximately 100 lots – some containing single toys and others comprising two or more toys. “There are many transportation-themed examples, some are wind-ups or spring operated, and several double as candy containers,” said Spurgeon. “A few are boxed, like the Parker Bros. Toy Town Garage and Issmayer paddlewheel boat, which is really spectacular.”
Collectors of monster material will think they’ve struck gold with the single-owner assortment in this sale. There is a near-complete run of Aurora’s early 1960s monster model kits, most of them sealed and all of them mint/boxed. Eighteen of the boxed monster kits are early 1960s productions, with many more from the latter 1960s and 1970s. Standouts include a 1962 Frankenstein in the so-called “thin” box, which was only manufactured for one year; and a boxed 1964 Gigantic Frankenstein, which is very hard to find. In addition, the category includes many other monster-related items, such as puzzles, games and costumes.
A few select carousel animals will be auctioned, with the highlight being an exquisite, professionally restored circa-1915 Looff outside-row jumper. “It’s gorgeous,” said Spurgeon. “It’s cream colored with a beautiful carved-eagle shield on the side of the saddle, with
